Purpose: To establish a procedure to dispatch the fire department to emergency and non-emergency calls.

Responsibility: It is the responsibility of the dispatcher to tone out the fire department when there is a need for the fire department in the community. The dispatcher will be able to tone out the fire department at the appropriate level of response needed. If in the judgment of the dispatcher there is a need to upgrade the level of response they may do so at any time. It shall be the responsibility of the responding fire officers to upgrade the level of response whenever in their judgment there is a need.

Levels of Response: There shall be three levels of response for the fire department Investigate Only, Rescue Crew, and All Out.

1. Investigate Only incident is an incident where there is not a need to tone out the fire department. A telephone call or personal pager call can be made to a fire department officer. The fire department officer shall investigate the incident.

1. Examples of Investigate Only incidents:

1. Carbon Monoxide Detector alarms
2. Pumping out cellars

2. Rescue Crew incident is an incident that only needs a limited number of firefighters. The department will be toned out without the use of the fire whistle. A sign up list determines the rescue crew each month.

1. Example of tone:

1. Gorham Rescue Crew respond to …… (This shall be repeated as soon as possible after first tone approximately 30 second.)

2. Examples of a Rescue Crew incidents:

1. Motor Vehicle Accidents
2. Police Officer needs assistance with traffic control.
3. Ambulance personnel need assistance with patient.
4. Small fuel or hazardous material spills
5. Mutual aid calls

3. All Out incident is an incident that the entire fire department is needed to respond. Fire department tone will be used, and at this level the whistles in Cascade and Gorham shall be activated. The on duty ambulance crew shall also be toned out.

1. Example of tone:

1. Gorham Fire Department respond to …… (This shall be repeated as soon as possible after first tone approximately 30 second.)

2. Examples of All Out incidents:

1. Structure fires
2. Large fuel and hazardous material spills
3. Chemical or fuel truck accidents
4. Fire alarm activations

Conclusion: The purpose of this procedure is to give the dispatcher a guideline for toning out the fire department. These guidelines should not replace good judgment on the part of the dispatchers. It is important when there is an All Out incident that both fire whistles are used, because of the need of all the firefighters at the scene.